Oil-conserving piston



Nov. 25, 1930. c. E. JOHNSON OIL CONSERVING PISTON Filed May 12, 1950 noenfior Clxoccle ndohnaon (\Tiot 110 5 Pa tentedNov 25 193i) i i i a g umransrnas PATENT OFFICE onanL-ns E. "Jomso1w,or. MosxEeon, momma ,VVOIL-GONSERVING'PISTQN e v h i eaudnmea ra ia, 1930. team. 451,801. r

This invention relates [to an oilfconserving hadiroln the following 'descriptiolntaken in piston constructionpart cularly adapted-ion connection w th the accompany ng draw ng, use in internal combust on engines wh ch are, in which, l

used in motor vehicles. a I Fig. 1 is a-Lvertical section through cylins In lubrication of engines, a filinoffoll s der having areciprocating piston 1nounted{55 introduced between thepiston and walls of therein and having my invention applied a cylinder'inlwhich it operates and ifysuch thereto; i we i v oil is carried .upwardlyflto the combustion Fig. Zis aifragrnentary enlarged vertical a chamber above the piston, itresiilts in the sectionthrough the cylinder, and adjacent oil being burned Withjtheformation of car portion of the piston. n I .4 60

bon and an enhanced consumption of oil. ,It a Fig. 3 is ,a fragmentary'horizontal section",

has been common practice to use openings the'planeof the section being taken through through the sides of the piston, usually lead the horizontal oil drainage openings in the s ring from a piston ring groove inwardly, and? piston. p e i i i p to provide an oilscraping and collecting pis- Fig. 4 is a fragmentar vertical section, 65 ton ring in said grooveby"jineans"of which similar torthat shown in Flg. 2, illustrating a i any excess of oil overthatneeded for lubrin odification in construction, and, s 1 cation is carried into the jring groove and" Fig, 5 is-a vertical section through a piston therefrom through saidopenings to the inte-- with the forniof invention, illustrated in 120 rior of thepiston, which at relatively low Fig. 41 used therewith; 7 it 70 speeds of the engine" issatisfactory and a r Like reference characters refer to like parts,

markedimprovement over pistons nothaving in thedifierent figuresof the drawing; n W suchconstruction, 1 The cylinder lis of any preferredforinof V Howevergat thehigherspeeds of the enf construction in which a pis'tonfQ' is' nounte'd a "2' gine, at which the pistons reciprocatevery for reciprocation inthe usual manner. The 7? rapidlyin the cylinder, on the-down stroke upper end. portion of the piston 'fis thickQ of thepistonair is more or less ti'appedand' ened at its-sides in order that ring grooves, compressed underneath the piston andjhas injay be fo'rniedin which piston" rings 3and a tendency to force itselfoutwardly through rare located. The piston ringn4,preferably v said Oil'drainagepassagesiand force the oil in thejlowerniost ring groove,fisof any suit} ,80 back to the walls OiithecyIinder', rendering able-10111 drainage construction havingaplue the drainage construction described inefieer ral ity fof inwardlyand upwardlybut slots tive sothatiat the higher speeds of engine. 5t1ierein" aroundit through which the joil performance an excess ofyoil is'used' and, 'niay pass as it isscraped froni the walls of" therefore,wasted, v a y the cylinder tothehottoin of the ringgroove 85 Itis primary objectand" purpose. of, the on the 'dowIr-strokeoftthe pistonf A'plu present invention, t0 providearv'ery simpl rality [of drainage openings 6fare 5 made and effective automatic means in conjunction throughthe bottorn ofsaidpiston ring groove s a i with the foildraina ge op gsjOf @P j Q wall inwardly to the interiorfof the piston so which isope e hr ugh rn te pr du iIl'order thatithe oil collectedin the ringao tion ofai'r compression underneath the piston groove will-pass to the interior of the piston y and vacuurnalternating with the same,'caused and th n t th nk casg i s by the reciprocatory movement f t pist With my invention; a plurality of are so as to close the passages when theref is 1C shaped thin elongated metal plates 7 areperpressio-n of the air and openthe sanleidurmanently secured to the'innerside ofthe pis 5" ing theperiods of vacuum. The compression ton and anchored against turninginoveinent of the air takes place on the down stroke of withrespect thereto by means of rivets 8 or the piston andfvacuumjisIproducedonj the equivalentfastening devices, the members up stroke'thereof. V 1 ,7 being located horizontally and at the inner Anunderstanding oftheinven'tion may be ends ofthe passages 6. The plates 7 are of 1th spring material and move back and forth toward and away from the ends of the openings 6 forming a very quick acting check valve. The curvature of the plates is substantially the same as the inner surface of the piston where applied. v

On the up stroke of the piston the vacuum which occurs at the inside of the piston and the pressure of the oil which is trapped behind the ring serves to draw and force the free end portions of theplates 7 from-the inner sides of the piston, as in Fig. 3, to uncover the drainage passages 6 andpermit the oil to pass freely to the interior of the piston as it will do by reason of the vacuum and pressure of the oil which is behind the ring. On the down stroke of the piston, however, any compression of the air which would tend to force the oil in the wrong direction through said passages causes the free end portions of plate 7 to be pressed against the inner sides of the piston and cover said passages, thereby preventing any action of the compressed air which would force the oil outwardly toward the walls ofthe cylinder. It is, of course, to be understood that as many of the oil drainage passages 6 may be used as found desirable Preferably two of the plates 7 will be used, one at each side of the piston, but this number can be increased if it is better.

In Figs. 4 and 5 a modification of the construction is shown. At a lower portion of the piston at the inner sides thereof bosses 9 are made to each of which a thin metal member 10 is permanently secured by rivets 11, the upper portion of the member being divided to provide spring fingers 12 which extend upwardly so that one of saidfingers comes opposite the inner end of each of the drainage openings 6. There will be as many fingers as drainage openings at a side of the piston. The movement of the fingers 12 to close the ends of the passages 6 on the down stroke of the piston and their inward movement-to uncover said passages on the up stroke of the piston occurs the same as described with reference to the construction shown in Figs. 1 to 3 inclusive.

The construction described is a very simple and economical onefor the attainment of the endsdesired. The principle of operation upon which the device works is that the changing air pressure underneath the piston above and below normal atmospheric pressure serves to close and open the oil passages 6, closing them at the time when they should be closed and opening them at other times'for the passage of the oil to the interior of the piston.

The invention-is defined in the appended claims and is to be considered comprehensive of all forms of structure coming within their scope.

I claim:

1. A piston provided with a groove around the same in which oil may enter and having oil drainage openings from said groove to the interior of the piston, and means at tached to the inner side of the piston and eX- tending over the inner ends of said oil drainage passages, automatically operated b y the increase and decrease of air pressures within the piston over and under normal pressure, to move said means into closing engagement with the ends of said passages on increase of air pressure above normal pressure and away from the inner ends of said passages to open the same on decrease of air pressure below normal pressure.

2. A. piston provided with a groove around the same in which oilmay enter and having oil drainage openings from said groove to the interiorof the piston, and means attached to the inner side of the piston and extending over the inner ends of said oil drainage passages, automatically operated by'the increase and decrease of air and oil pressures within the piston and groove over and under normal pressure, to move said means into closing engagement with the ends of said passages on increase of air pressure above normal pressure and away from the inner ends of said passages to open the same on decrease of air and increase of oil pressure below normal pressure.

3. A piston adapted to' have reciprocatory movements having oil drainage passages through. its sides, said piston when reciprocated at high speed in one direction compressing air within the same and when moving in the other direction reducing the pressure of air below normal pressure, and fiexible means attached to the inner sides of the piston in position to be forced by the pressure of air above normal pressure into closing engagement with the inner ends ofsaid drainage passages and automatically open said passages whenthe pressure of air is reduced below normal pressure. I

t. Apiston adapted to be mounted for vertical reciprocatory movements, having oil drainage passages through the sides thereof and means for collecting excess oil from the walls of a. cylinder in which said piston. re-

ciprocates and delivering the same to said.

passages, and a. flexible member secured to the inner side of the piston and extending over the inner ends of said oil drainage passages and automatically operated by the varying air pressures underneath the piston when the same is reciprocated to close said passages on the down strokeof the piston and open the same on the up stroke thereof.

5. A piston adaptedto be mounted for vertical reciprocatory movements, having oil drainage passages throughthe sides thereof and means for collecting excess oil from the walls of a cylinder in which said piston re ciprocates and delivering. the same to said passages, and a flexible membersecured to the inner side of the piston and extending over the inner ends. of said oil drainage passages and automatically operated, by the varying air and oil pressures underneath the A I piston and ring when the same is recipro- Gated to close said passages on the down stroke of the piston and open the same on the up stroke thereof.

, 6. In combination withthe vertically pos'itioned cylinder, a piston mounted therein for vertical reciprocations, said piston having oil drainage passages through the sides thereof, and a space around the piston in which excess oil collects, under the ring said i passages leading fromthespace to the interior of the piston, and an elongated flexiblemember permanently secured to the inner side of thepiston and lying horizontally over the inner ends of said oil drainage passages and adapted tomove into closing engagement therewith and away therefrom to open and close the sameon the down and f 25.

up movements of the piston, respectively.

7. In combination, a vertical cylinder, a

piston'mounted for reciprocation thereon,

means for removing and collecting excess oilfrom the walls of the cylinder and passing the same to the interior of the piston,

including oil drainage passages through the sides of the piston and means secured to the I inner sides of the piston automatically operable by pressure :of air under the piston to close said drainage openings on the down stroke of the piston andopen the same on the upstroke thereof.

8. A pistonhaving a plurality of oil drainage openings therethrough to carry oil to the interior of the piston, and a thin flexible resilient member of metal permanently secured to the inner side ofthepiston and extending over the inner ends of the plurality of said oil drainage passages, for the purposes described.

i 9. A piston having an oil drainage opening therethrough, and a thin resilient member permanently secured to the inner side of the piston and'extending over said opening adapted to be automatically. moved to close said: opening on movement of the piston in one direction and uncover the opening on.

ton in one direction and uncover the opening on movement ofthe piston in the opposite v direction, said movement of the flexible 'member being actuated through variations of pressure of the air andoil inside the pis- .ton and piston ring groove.

In testimony whereof IafliX my signature.

7 CHARLES E. JOHNSON. 

